Background: Depression has been associated with higher mortality and morbidity rates after acute coronary syndromes (ACS), but little is known about the association between depression, angina burden, and quality of life. We evaluated the association between a history of depression and patient-reported angina frequency, physical limitation, and quality of life 7 months after discharge from the hospital for ACS.
Methods: Patients were enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs Access to Cardiology Study, a cohort study of all patients with acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina who were discharged from 24 Veterans Affairs medical centers between March 1998 and February 1999. Data from 1957 patients who completed a 7-month postdischarge Seattle Angina Questionnaire were analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate a history of depression as an independent predictor of angina frequency, physical limitation, and quality of life 7 months after ACS, as measured with the Seattle Angina Questionnaire.
Results: A total of 526 patients (26.7%) had a history of depression. After adjustment for a wide array of demographic, cardiac, and comorbid factors, a history of depression was significantly associated with more frequent angina (odds ratio [OR] 2.40, 95% CI 1.86-3.10, P <.001), greater physical limitation (OR 2.89, 95% CI 2.17-3.86, P <.001), and worse quality of life (OR 2.84, 95% CI 2.16-3.72, P <.001) after ACS.
Conclusion: We found a strong association between a history of depression and both heavier angina burden and worse health status after ACS. These findings further support the importance of depression as a risk marker for adverse outcomes after ACS.